Introduction to Senior Transportation

Introduction to Senior Transportation focuses on an issue that is a growing concern―the community mobility needs of older adults. Surpassing the coverage available in existing gerontology textbooks, it enables the reader to understand and appreciate the challenges faced by older adults as they make the transition from driving to using transportation options (many of which were not designed to meet their particular needs). It considers the physical and cognitive limitations of older adult passengers, the family of transportation services, the challenges providers face in meeting the assistance and support needs of senior passengers, and the transportation methods that do and do not currently meet the needs and wants of senior passengers.

This textbook addresses the educational and professional development needs of faculty, students, and practitioners working in the fields of aging, aging services, and transportation. The book has been class-tested and features innovative, practical learning tools that appeal to students and practitioners. It complements any introductory course in gerontology, human development and aging, or human factors, and will enhance the curriculum of programs in the social behavioral sciences as well as traffic safety, transit engineering, and community planning.

Helen K. Kerschner has more than thirty-five years of experience in health, aging, transportation, and international development. Her career has included positions in university settings, corporate America, the federal government, and nonprofits. She is Director of the National Volunteer Transportation Center of the Community Transportation Association of America, Washington, DC. Formerly, she was President and CEO of the Beverly Foundation, which conducted research, demonstration, and education to foster new ideas and options for enhancing mobility and transportation for today’s and tomorrow’s older population.

Nina M. Silverstein is Professor of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and has held leadership roles in that organization, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and the Alzheimer’s Association. She has published on the impact of dementia on home, community, institutional and acute care settings and on a broad range of issues in gerontology. Her primary research interests relate to transportation and aging with a special focus on dementia.